1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a label attaching apparatus for attaching a label displaying printed information associated with a material, such as a box, a product, etc. wherein the label is attached on the material transferred by a transfer device.
This application is based on Japanese Patent Application No. Hei 11-142443, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.
2. Description of the Related Art
A label attaching apparatus, wherein a label displaying information associated with a material, such as a mail, a product, etc. (abbreviated as xe2x80x9cmaterialxe2x80x9d below) which the label will be attached, for example, using a bar code, is automatically attached on the material, has been used.
The conventional label attaching apparatus comprises a material transfer mechanism for carrying the material, such as conveyor, a label transfer mechanism for carrying a label printed information associated with the material, a label holder for receiving the label from the label transfer mechanism and transferring the label to the material, and a label attaching member for pressing the label to the material, in order to attach the label on the material.
This type of label attaching apparatus is disclosed in Japanese Patent Applications, First Publication Nos. Hei 10-264915 and 10-101044, and Second Publication (Kokai) No. Hei 07-084215. Most of this type of label attaching apparatus comprises a label holder that holds the label by air suction. The label attaching apparatus comprising the air suction type label holder has the effects of simplifying and miniaturizing the device. Moreover, when the label is transferred from the label holder to the material, the label holder blows air and the air presses the label against the material in the label attaching apparatus. Therefore, this type of label attaching apparatus needs no special member for attaching the label on the material, other than the label attaching member. From this point of view, the label attaching apparatus can be more simple.
However, it is difficult for the air blow type label attaching apparatus to maintain the position of the label when the label is transferred to the material. Therefore, the label is easily kinked or bent and the attached label is wrinkled or crumpled. In addition, the problem that the dislocation of the position where the label should be attached easily occurs arises. When the distance between the label holder and the material while the label is being transferred from the label holder to the material is large, these problems are more significant. When the label is attached on several kinds of material having different sizes and shapes, the distance between the label holder and the material sometimes cannot be sufficiently reduced.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a label attaching apparatus in which when the distance between the label holder and the surface to which the label will be attached is variable, an inversion or a dislocation of the position at which the label will be attached does not arise, and the label can stably be attached at the required position, and which has an improved the attaching speed.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus for attaching a label on the material, comprising a label holder provided with a label sucking face for sucking and holding the label thereon wherein
the label holder comprises at least one air blowout chamber for supplying air supplied from an air source into a plurality of air blowout pipes having openings formed at the label sucking face, and at least one air suction chamber for dividing negative pressure due to the air suction source into a plurality of air suction pipes having openings formed at the label sucking face.
According to the label attaching apparatus, the plurality of air blowout pipes are connected to the common air blowout chamber; therefore, the air blowout pipes can blow air uniformly and approximately in an instant. Moreover, the plurality of air suction pipes is also connected to the common air suction chamber; therefore, the air suction pipes can suck air uniformly and approximately in an instant. Consequently, it is possible to change between air suction and air blow in an instant, and reliably transfer the label to the material.
According to the second aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein the label sucking surface comprises at least one recess perpendicularly formed to the longitudinal direction of the label sucking face, of which the bottom is provided with the openings of the air blowout pipes and the air suction pipes.
According to the label attaching apparatus, when the label is sucked at the label sucking face, the pressure inside of the recess is negative. Therefore, the label is sucked at the openings of the recesses, and is held reliably by the label holder. When the label is released from the label sucking face, air is blown out from all of the openings of the air blowout pipes positioned at the bottom of the recesses. Therefore, it is possible to transfer the label toward the material while the position of the label is reliably maintained.
According to the third aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein said label holder moves to a label receiving position A where the label holder receives the label from the label transfer mechanism by sucking the label with the label sucking face, a label releasing position B where the label holder releases and transfer the label toward the material, and a waiting position C between the label receiving position A and the releasing position B in a movement of the label holder, and further comprises a label transfer mechanism for transferring the label to the label receiving position A along a label transfer direction, a drive mechanism for the label holder which transfers the label holder from the initial position to the label receiving position A, and from the label receiving position A to the waiting position C in a parallel manner, and a rotation mechanism for the label holder which moves the label holder from the waiting position C to the label releasing position B by rotating the label holder positioned at the waiting position C so that the label sucking face of the label holder faces the surface of the material.
According to the label attaching apparatus, the label transfer mechanism transfers the label to the label receiving position A. When the label holder moves from the initial position to the label receiving position A by the operation of the drive mechanism, the label holder starts air suction. Then, the label at the label receiving position A is sucked by the label sucking face, and held by the label holder. The label holder holding the label moves to the waiting position C by operation of the drive mechanism. When the material is transferred to the label releasing position B, the label holder moves from the waiting position C to the label releasing position B by operation of the rotation mechanism.
According to the fourth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein the label holder comprises a positioning member for the label formed at the label sucking face.
According to the label attaching apparatus, the label can be always held at a fixed position of the label sucking face. Therefore, it is possible to attach exactly the label to the required position of the surface of the material.
According to the fifth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein the openings of the air blowout pipes which are positioned at least one part of the edges of the label are closed.
A resistance of air (abbreviated as xe2x80x9copen airxe2x80x9d below) other than air blowing from the air blowout pipes applied to the center part of the label is larger than that of the open air applied to the edge parts of the label. Therefore, when the label which is easily bent, such as thin label and the soft label is transferred toward the material by air blow, the label is bent due to the air resistance of open air. Then, the edges of the label reaches at the surface of the material faster than the center part of the label. This phenomenon causes wrinkles of the attached label.
According to the label attaching apparatus, the openings of the air blowout pipes which are positioned at least one part of the edges of the label are closed. Thereby, at least one part of the edges of the label, where is applied a most small air resistance, is not received air. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the bend of the label, and to reach the edges and the center part of the label approximately at the same time.
Moreover, it is preferable that the openings of the air blowout pipes which are positioned at the entire edges of the label are closed, depending on the shape of the label.
According to the sixth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching, wherein further comprises a material. transfer mechanism for transferring the material in a transferring direction, and the diameter of the openings of the air blowout pipes which are positioned at the downstream side in the transferring direction of the material are larger than that of the openings of the air blowout pipes which are positioned at the upstream side.
According to the label attaching apparatus, an amount of air blown from the opening of the air blowout pipes positioned at the downstream side is larger than that of air blown from the opening of the air blowout pipes positioned at the upstream side. Therefore, the end of the label at the downstream side reaches to the material faster than the other end at the upstream side. Moreover, the label is attached on the material being transferred. Therefore, the material, to which only one end of the label is attached reliably and the other end of the label is not attached or weakly attached, is transferred in a transfer direction. As the material is transferred in the transfer direction, that is, as the label is transferred from the upstream side to the downstream side, the label is pushed toward the material with a larger air force. Thereby, the part of the label which is not attached or weakly attached on the material is attached reliably on the material in sequence. Consequently, wrinkles are not hardly formed in the attached label.
According to the seventh aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein further comprises a blower for attaching the label.
According to the label attaching apparatus, after the label is transferred and attached to the material by the label holder, the blower blows air with high power to the label transferred to the material so that the label is reliably attached on the material. Therefore, it is possible to attach more reliably the label on the material.
According to the eighth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein a plurality of recesses are formed at the label sucking face of the label holder so as to remove the side surface of the label holder, at where the opening is formed.
According to the label attaching apparatus, the label is transferred by the label transfer mechanism to the label receiving position A, entered into the inside of the label positioning member, and held at a required position at the label sucking face. Moreover, the grooves are formed at the label sucking face so as to removes the side surface of the label holder, at where the opening is formed. The grooves having a such structure are formed at the label holder, and air suction starts, negative pressure inside of the grooves is not sufficient directly to suck the label. Therefore, the label can be transferred to the required position where the label contacts the inner wall of the positioning member by utilizing the time lag.
According to the ninth aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a label attaching apparatus, wherein the label holder comprises a label receiver for receiving an unnecessary label, which moves between a position in which the label receiver faces the label sucking face and a position which is far from the label sucking face.
According to the label attaching apparatus, when the label holder holds an unnecessary label such as a label of which the conditions before attachment are not good, the unnecessary label can be recovered and disposed by moving the label receiver to the position where the label receiver faces the label sucking face and stopping an air suction, thereby the unnecessary label is transferred from the label sucking face to the label receiver. Therefore, it is possible to recover and dispose the unnecessary label.